Mixed Vegetable Saagu

A pleasant weather and a simple yet special homemade dinner, along with your family, is surely a moment of bliss! And when it is lovingly prepared by your mom and served hot, it has to be even more special :) Yes, apart from clicking pictures and enjoying the dinner, I did nothing else for this post. It is mom's special in "My Cheerful Kitchen" this week!

Poondu-Milagu Thuvayal (Garlic-Pepper Chutney - My Grandma's Recipe)

Apart from my experiments in baking and other fusion recipes, I always enjoy learning traditional recipes from my mom and grandma. One such lovely recipe that I learnt from my grandma is Poondu-Milagu Thuvayal (Garlic-Pepper Gravy/Chutney).

My grandma was married at a very young age and in those days our family used to be very orthodox due to which onion and garlic were never included in our cuisine. Things have changed now though and we all love onion and garlic for their various health benefits. You might wonder how I call this a traditional recipe when garlic was not even included in our cuisine earlier??!! There was just one period when garlic would be included and that was for pregnant women and lactating mothers! Garlic is said to improve blood circulation, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels during pregnancy and increases the milk supply of lactating mothers. This is the reason why the humble garlic was allowed to enter the kitchen of even orthodox families those days!

But now, my grandma makes it regularly and we all enjoy this with hot rice. This can also be categorized as a pickle (considering the spices and amount of oil that goes into it!!!) as it can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 months.

Olan

Olan is an important dish in the menu list of Onam Sadhya. It is surprisingly very easy to cook and also has a wonderful aroma :)

Recipe source: chitrasfoodbook.com

INGREDIENTS:

• Black-eyed beans /vanpayar / kaaramani – 1/4 cup (I used red kidney beans or rajma)
• Ash gourd or Yellow pumpkin -  2 cups, cut into cubes
• Green chilli – 3-4, slit lengthwise
• Water – as needed
• Thick coconut milk – 1/2 - 3/4 cup (adjust)
• Salt- as needed
• Curry leaves – few
• Coconut oil – 1 tablespoon

METHOD:

1. Soak the rajma overnight
2. Pressure cook the beans with 1 cup of water in low flame for three to five whistles. Drain the excess water & keep aside the cooked beans
3. Cook together pumpkin, green chilli, salt and 1.5 cups  of water, till the pumpkin becomes tender
4. Add the cooked beans to the ash gourd and mix well. Add coconut milk and curry leaves
5. Cook on low flame for 5-7 mins. Remove from the fire and drizzle some coconut oil
6. Serve hot with rice or roti

Check out my Onam Sadhya inspired Kerala Lunch Menu

Darbari Dal (Zero Oil Recipe)

I came across this healthy dal recipe in Tarla Dalal ji's website. It is very easy to make and tastes best when served hot with rice or roti! 

INGREDIENTS:

• Rajma - 1/4 cup, soaked over-night
• Toor Dal - 1/4 cup, soaked for 15 mins
• Masoor Dal - 1/4 cup
• Bottle guard - 1/2 cup, cut into cubes
• Red pumpkin - 1/2 cup, cut into cubes
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp
• Tomatoes - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
• Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
• Coriander powder - 1 Tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 Tsp
• Chilli powder - 1/2 Tsp
• Green chillis - 2, slit length-wise
• Lemon juice - 2 Tsp

METHOD:

1. In a pressure cooker, add all the dal, bottle guard, pumpkin, turmeric powder along with 1 and 1/2 cups of water and mix well. Pressure cook for 4 whistles
2. Open the lid after the steam has escaped and mash the dal. Add tomatoes, coriander leaves, dhania powder, garam masala, chilli powder, green chillis, salt, lemon juice and 1/2 a cup of water (if the dal is too thick). Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 4-5 minutes
3. Serve hot with rice or roti

Palak Paneer (Quick and easy)

Palak paneer would be the most loved green leafy dish! This famous restaurant/dhaba dish can be made very easily at home. I went through a lot of recipes for palak paneer and incorporated the useful tips from various blogs and sites. If these simple tips are followed, then we can make this at home just like how it is served at a restaurant or dhaba! So why wait? let's hop on directly to the recipe

INGREDIENTS: (Serves 2)

• Paneer - 10 cubes
• Spinach/Palak - 1 big bunch
• Green chilli - 3
• Ginger - 1 Tsp, chopped
• Garlic - 2 Tsp, finely chopped
• Onion - 1 medium sized, finely chopped
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp
• Garam Masala powder - 1/2 Tsp
• Kasoori methi - 1 Tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp
• Curd - 1/2 cup
• Fresh cream - 3-4 Tbsp (optional)
• Lemon juice - 2 Tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 2 Tbsp

METHOD:

1. Wash and drain spinach thoroughly
2. Add spinach to salted boiling water and cook for 2 minutes *
3. Drain the spinach and immediately refresh it with cold water. Strain the excess water
4. Allow it to cool for a while and then blend it along with green chillis into a smooth paste without adding any water. Keep aside
5. In a pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds. Once the seeds splutter, add chopped ginger and garlic. Saute it for a minute and add the onions. Saute it for 3-4 minutes till the onions become translucent *
6. Add turmeric powder and curds, mix well
7. Once it starts to boil, add the spinach puree and mix well
8. Add salt, garam masala powder and crushed kasoori methi
9. If you wanted a rich texture to the gravy, add fresh cream and give it a mix
10. Now add the paneer cubes and mix very gently so that they do not break
11. Finally add lime juice and mix gently *
12. Serve hot with roti/naan/kulcha/ghee rice/jeera pulao

That's it! A restaurant style gravy is ready at home!!

*NOTES:

* Make sure not to over cook the spinach, it will lose its colour. Also never close and cook spinach. Just cook it for 2 minutes in boiling water. Refreshing it immediately with cold water is also to ensure that the spinach retains its lovely green color

* As we are using lesser oil, in order to cook the onions faster, you can add a pinch of salt or sugar while frying them

* Adding lemon juice at the end, not only enhances the flavor of the dish but also helps in easier digestion of spinach

Dal Makhani (without makhan!)

The dal makhani that is served in restaurants has a generous amount of butter(makhan), to completly justify its title! But in "My cheerful kitchen", I am always conscious with regards to the ingredients that I use as I did this gravy as a side dish for kulcha, which had plain flour and oil in it, I decided to go for a low calorie gravy and was absolutely delighted when I came across this recipe in Nita Mehta's diet recipe collections. No one will believe that there is no butter added to this gravy, as the texture and taste came out to be just the same as how we get in restaurants!

INGREDIENTS: (Serves 4)

• Black urad dal - 1/2 cup
• Rajma - 2 Tbsp
• Onion -1 large, ground to a paste
• Garlic flakes - 4, crushed to 1/2 Tsp of paste
• Salt - as needed
• Red chilli powder - 1/4 Tsp
• Tomato puree - 1/4 cup
• Cumin seeds powder - 1/2 Tsp
• Garam masala - 1/4 Tsp
• Kasoori methi - 1/2 Tsp
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Whipped curd - for garnishing

METHOD:

1. Soak the black urad dal and rajma over night. Drain and wash thoroughly
2. Pressure cppk the soaked dal with the ground onion, crushed garlic, salt, red chilli powder and 2 and 1/2 cups of water. Lower the flame after 1st whistle and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from fire and allow it to cool
3. Add the tomato puree, cumin seeds powder, garam masala and kasoori methi. Boil and cook on low flame for 15 minutes and remove from fire
4. At the time of serving, add milk and cook for 4-5 minutes till the right consistency is achieved. Garnish with coriander and swirl whipped curd using a spoon. Serve hot with any roti or pulao

Kadai Gobhi

This weekend, when I wanted to come up with a restaurant style fine dining platter, I didn't want to use any usual paneer recipes and hence came up with this kadai gobhi recipe. It is also lesser in the calorie count when compared to the paneer version.

INGREDIENTS: (Serves 4)

• Cauliflower - 1 medium sized, cut into big florets
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 - 1 Tsp
• Coriander powder - 1/2 Tsp
• Tomatoes -2 large, cut into big pieces
• Capsicum - 1 large, cut into big pieces
• Onion - 1 large, cut into big pieces
• Green chillis - 2, slit across the length
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 Tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1/4 Tsp
• Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 Tsp
• Salt - as needed
• Coriander leaves - 1 Tbsp, finely chopped
• Oil - 1 Tbsp

METHOD:

1. Boil the cauliflower florets in salted water for 10 minutes, till they become soft. Refresh them in cold water
2. Heat oil in a pan and add red chilli powder and coriander powder. Stir in low flame for half a minute
3. Add onions, ginger-galic paste and saute for a few minutes till onions change color, then add capsicums, slit green chillis and saute for 5 more minute. Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, garam masla powder and cook for 10 minutes on low flame so that the tomatoes blend well with the spices
4. Add the boiled cauliflower and 1/4 cup of water. stir for 3-5 minutes till well mixed and serve hot!

Dapka Kadhi (Steamed Pakoda Kadhi)

A Gujarati meal is incomplete without Kadhi. There are different kinds of alterations that can be done to this humble recipe and when I planned for a Gujarati Thali, I decided to go for a pakoda kadhi. But I didn't want to deep fry the pakodas so when I came across the steamed kadhi recipe in Tarla Dalal ji's site, I bookmarked it and tried it. I do feel that deep frying them would have enhanced the taste but still the steamed version too tasted very nice!

INGREDIENTS:

For Pakoda:

• Yellow moong dal - 1/4 cup, soaked
• Grated Raddish - 1/4 cup
• Ginger-green chilli paste - 1/2 Tsp
• Besan (Yellow gram flour) - 2 Tsp
• Salt - to taste

For Kadhi:

• Yogurt - 1 cup
• Besan - 2 Tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 Tsp
• Ginger-green chilli paste - 1 Tsp
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Oil - 1 Tbsp
• Salt - to taste

METHOD:

To make pakodas:

1. Soak moong dal in enough water for 15-20 minutes
2. Drain out all the water and grind it into a coarse paste, without adding any water
3. Grate the raddish and squeeze out all the water from raddish
4. Mix raddish along with ground dal and add ginger-green chilli paste, besan, salt and mix well
5. Make small balls and keep aside

To make Kadhi:

1. Whisk curds. Add besan and mix very well so that no lumps are left behind
2. Add turmeric powder, ginger-green chilli paste and mix well
3. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and when it sizzles, add asafoetida
4. Pour in the curds mixture, salt and 2 cups of water and give it a good stir
5. When it starts to boil, reduce the flame and start adding the pakodas carefully one by one. In case the pakodas crumble, add more besan to it and then add to the kadhi (You could also deep fry them or microwave for 2 minutes before adding it to the kadhi)
6. Allow it to boil for 5-10 minutes until the pakodas are cooked (If you are deep frying them, then they can be added at the end after kadhi boils)
7. Garnish with coriander and serve hot

Kadhi goes well with:

• Khichdi
• Methi Pulao
• Bajra Roti

Capsicum Tomato Curry

This curry turned out to be a very tasty side dish for roti. It has a whole lot of spices included in it which makes it so flavorful.

INGREDIENTS

• Capsicum - 2 big
• Onion - 1 big
• Tomatoes - 2 medium sized and ripe
• Red chilli powder - 1 Tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 Tsp
• Kasoori methi - 1/2 Tsp
• Roasted sesame powder - 1 and 1/2 Tsp
• Roasted peanut powder - 1 and half Tsp
• Salt - as needed
• Curry leaves - 4 to 5
• Oil - 1 Tbsp
• Coriander leaves - for garnish

METHOD:

1. Heat oil, add onions, curry leaves and fry them till they are transparent
2. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and mix well
3. Add capsicum, tomatoes and fry for 6 to 7 minutes
4. Add half a cup of water, cover the kadai with a lid and cook for 10 minutes on a medium flame
5. Now add the roasted sesame and peanuts powder, kasoori methi and mix well. Cook without the lid for 5 more minutes
6. Turn off the heat and garnish with coriander leaves
7. Serve hot with roti

Mixed vegetables in coconut gravy

While I had planned to make jeera pulao for lunch, I was looking for some unique side dish to it different from the usual paneer gravies or daals and that's when I came across this recipe in Tarla Dalal ji's website. It turned out to be very tasty and it can be had with any mild pulaos or roti or just with plain rice too. Lets dig in right away to the recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

• Mixed vegetables (Carrots, beans, green peas, potato, capsicum, red pumpkin etc.) - 2 cups, chopped and boiled
• Coconut milk - 3/4th cup
• Oil - 2 Tbsp
• Onions - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
• Tomatoes - 3/4th cup, finely chopped
• Curry leaves - 4
• Salt - to taste

To grind into a smooth paste:

• Red chilli - 4
• Peanuts (raw or roasted) - 1 Tbsp
• Dhania/Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Jeera - 1 Tsp
• Grated coconut - 2 Tsp
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamon - 2 small sticks
• Ginger-garlic paste - 2 Tsp
• Roasted chana dal (Pottu kadalai) - 1 Tbsp

METHOD:

1. Grind the ingredients under "To grind into smooth paste" with little water
2. Heat oil in a kadai, add onions and saute for 2 minutes
3. Add the ground paste, curry leaves and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. To avoid it from getting burnt, add 2 Tbsp of water and cook
4. Add tomatoes, 2 tbsp water, mix well and cook for a few more minutes
5. Add the boiled vegetables, salt, coconut milk, 1/4 cup water and cook for 5 minutes**

Serve hot!

NOTE: 

**This gravy tastes best when served hot. So you can make all the preparations till step 4 and just 5 minutes before serving, add the boiled vegetables, salt and coconut milk + water and cook for 5 minutes.

Baby corn and Capsicum masala

What do I do when there are some baby corns left over in the refrigerator? Mix all ingredients of my choice and come up with an interesting gravy!!

Now what do I do when this gravy turned out to be a good side dish to rotis or peas pulao/ghee rice?? Share it with all in my blog :) So here goes the recipe.....

INGREDIENTS: (Serves 2)

• Baby corns - 5 to 6
• Capsicum - 1
• Onion - 1 big + 2 Tbsp of finely chopped onions
• Tomato - 1 big
• Cashewnuts or Badam - 4 to 5 (optional)
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
• Kasoori Methi - a pinch
• Turmeric powder
• Oil - 1 Tbsp
• Salt - as required

METHOD:

1. Cut the onion into large pieces. Heat a tsp of oil in a kadai and fry the onions till they are transperent and light brown. Remove from fire and let it cool for a while
2. Cut baby corns into half inch pieces and boil them for 10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and turmeric powder to the water while boiling the baby corns
3. In a mixer, blend together the following ingredients into a smooth paste: fried and cooled onions, tomato, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, kasoori methi, cashewnuts or badam (this is optional, just for a rich texture, I added 3 chasewnuts and 3 badam)
4. In a kadai, heat 2 tsp of oil and fry the finely chopped onions and capsicum for a few minutes and keep the onion and capsicum aside
5. In the same oil, add cumin seeds. Once they crackle, add the ground paste and fry for 2 to 3 minutes
6. Once it starts to boil, add the baby corns, onions and capsicum. Add little water if the gravy is too thick
7. Add salt, garam masala and cook for 5 minutes in medium flame
8. Serve hot with rotis or ghee rice/peas pulao